DENSITY-DEPENDENCE OF NESTLING IMMUNE FUNCTION AND PHYSIOLOGICAL CONDITION IN SEMI-PRECOCIAL COLONIAL BIRD: A CROSS-FOSTERING EXPERIMENT

Density-dependence of nestling immune function and physiological condition in semi-precocial colonial bird: a cross-fostering experiment

Abstract Background Nesting in large aggregations provides several important advantages for colonially breeding birds.However, it also imposes certain costs, associated with facilitated pathogen transmission and social stress.The cost-benefit ratio is not similar for all the birds in a colony and it might be mediated by nest density.To investigate

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